Third rail selector for toy railroads



June 7, 1932. w. H. CLARK' THIRD RAIL SELECTOR FOR TOY RA LROADS Filed Dec. 26, 1929 Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT WENDELL H. CLARK, OF IKEN'ILMTORTI-I,` IIL-IIIIOIS` THIRD RAIL SELECTOR FOR TOY RAILROADS Application led December 26, 1929. V.SerialV No. 416,313.

This invention rela-tes to toy electric railroads and its object is to enable two or more trains to be run at the same time on a main track, or on a main track and side tracks,

switches, cross-overs and the like, independently of each other and under separate control.

And a further object of the invention is to provide a toy electric train system including a plurality of third rails and engines having contact shoes adapted 'for selective engagement with said third rails so that a plurality of trains may be run on the same track independently of each other and under separate control.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention wherein Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional View showing as much of an engine yas is necessary to illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the engine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views illustrating modifications of the invention.

Referring to the drawing 8 represents generally a track and 9 an engine to run on the track. Third rails 10 and 11 are mounted side by side on the track and are suitably insulated therefrom. Electric Contact is made in any well-known way between the engine and one of the third rails by means of a shoe carried by the engine. In the form shown the shoe comprises a spring plate 12 having a transverse slot 13 to receive screws 14C or other suitable means for fastening the plate to the engine. The plate carries contact rollers 15 at its ends adapted to make electric contact with one of the third rails. It is well known in the art to provide engines with contact shoes for this purpose and it will not be necessary in these specifications to describe the electric connections. Heretofore, however, it has been the practice to provide a single third rail on the track and to secure the shoe in fixed position on the engine but my invention provides for two or more third rails on the track and also provides for adjusting the shoe so thatit can loe-made' to contact'with any one `of these third rails." The adjustment may be effected by loosening the screws 14 and shifting the shoe bodily and transversely -ot y the engine into proper registration with the third rail withf'which Vithas been selected to contact, and then'tightenng the screws to secure the shoerigidly in its adjusted position, Y but I prefer to avoid the necessityofmanipulating the screws and to utilize th'emfor gu'i'd- 60 ing the shoe-in its adjustment,and I provide projections which may*v be inl the form of in-V dentations 16 Von'the plate 12 to engage recesses 17 inV the engine for retaining thev shoe in its adjusted position. [This-enables the adjustme'nt to belmade easily and .quickly and as often` as 'desired without the use of tools. rllhe invention enablesengines to be provided with standard shoes-all mounted in the same n 4 manner but capable'of adjustment to make 701 contact withany one of a plurality of third rails on the track and in this way two or more trains may be run on the same track inde v pendently of each other and under separate control electrically connected with the third rails. I have described the shoe as mounted on an engine because this is Where the shoe is commonly placed in toy electric railroads but it may be mounted on the tender or on any of l the cars and it will be understood that in re- V ferring to the engine as carrying the contact shoe I mean to include any part of the train upon which the shoe may be mounted. Thus a toy electric train system may be provided comprising a main track with side tracks, switches, cross-overs and other additions like regular train systems or in any desired combinations, and a number of trains may be run on the tracks independently of each other s and under separate control thereby increasing the interest and amusement to be derived from the operation of toys of this kind.

I may provide a plurality of third rails 18 mounted upon an insulated support 19 and a shoe 2O adapted for adjustment to engage 95 any one of said third rails, Fig. 4; or I may provide a plurality of third rails 21 mounted on and insulated from a support 22, and a shoe 23 adapted for adjustment to make-contact with any one of said third rails, Fig. 5 or 10 I may provide a shoe 24 with two contact rollers 25 arranged side by side in separate constant engagement with third rails 26, Fig.V

6, the rollers being electrically connected with a switch 27 which can be set for operating the train from one or the other third rail. And I may make other changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts of my in- Vention to adapt it to different embodiments, or for other purposes, Within the scope of the following claims:

I claim: v

1. In a toy electric railroadjthe 'combination of a plurality of third rails, an engine, a shoe, means for adjust-ably securing the shoe tev the engine for Contact Ywith any of said third rails,k and means on the-engine fer de-` termining the position of said shoe to engage shoe with a selected one of said third rar s.

2. In a. toy electric railroad, the combinaa tion of a plurality of third-rails, an engine, and ashoe adjustably mounted on the vengine for contact with any of said third rails, said shoecomprising a plate having a transverse slot therein, means arranged in said slot for holding the shoe on the engine and for guiding the shoe in its adhistlnent,l and means for-holding the shoe seleetivelyin adjusted positienon the engine.V

3. In a' toy electric railroad, the combina-v tion of a support havingra pair of third rails arranged thereon in oppositionto each other and another third rail intermediate the opposed third rails, an engine,' a shoe mounted on the engine, and means for adjusting the shole for contact with any one of said third rai s.

- WENDELL H. CLARK. 

